Carolyn Howard-Johnson's grandson served two tours in Iraq. Her husband is a retired Army officer who served in the 1960s Berlin call up. She writes poetry, fiction and essays that explore the subjects of war, peace and tolerance. She sees a relationship between the three. This is where she gets to nag and rag about making things better in the US and beyond by the simple means of fostering more acceptance in our hearts for our neighbors -- locally as well as globally.

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Quotation:

"Better than a thousand useless words is one word that gives peace." ~ Buddha

Military Writers Society of America Award

Troop Support Giftbook

About Me

Carolyn Howard-Johnson's first novel, This Is the Place, won eight awards. Her second book, Harkening: A Collection of Stories Remembered, creative nonfiction, won three. Her chapbook of poetry Tracings, was named to the Compulsive Reader's Ten Best Reads list and was given the Military Writers' Society of America's Silver Award of Excellence. An instructor for UCLA Extension's world-renown Writers' Program, her book The Frugal Book Promoter: How to Do What Your Publisher Won't is recommended reading for her classes, and was named USA Book News' "Best Professional Book 2004." It is also an Irwin Award winner. Her second book in the How To Do It Frugally series is The Frugal Editor: Put Your Best Book Forward to Avoid Humiliation and Ensure Success is also a USA Book News award-winner as well as the winner of the Reader View's Literary Award in the publishing category. She is the recipient of both the California Legislature's Woman of the Year in Arts and Entertainment Award and the Glendale American Business Women's Association's Woman of the Year award. Her community's Character and Ethics Committee honored her for promoting tolerance with her writing. She was also named to Pasadena Weekly's list of 14 "San Gabriel Valley women who make life happen." She is a popular speaker and actor. Her website is www.HowToDoItFrugally.com.

Beaufortby Ron Leshem, translated by Evan Fallenberg, Delacorte Press. Called a "heart-breaking, and haunting first novel." About Israeli combat.~~~~Charlie Wilson's War, the book, by George Crile.~~~~My City by the Sea by Gary Carter, a book of poems that includes "Universal Soldier."~~~~For the Good of the Many, by Gary Carter, a military/political thriler.~~~~Tracings, a chapbook of poetry by Carolyn Howard-Johnson that includes "The War Museum at Oslo." Finishing Line Press. Award of excellence from Military Writers' Society of America.~~~~Support Our Troops, a gift book of patriotic sayings by Eric Dinyer. Published by Andrews-McMeel. Foreword by Carolyn Howard-Johnson. Proceeds to Fisher House.~~~Eugene Richards is also the author of War Is Personal, "a series of phtographic and written essays about people--in and out of the military--whose lives have been changed by the war in Iraq." He is using a $50,000 grant for photography from National Geographic to write it.~~~An occasional newsletter from a veteran who says the subject is "usually conservatively political, patriotic or honors our troops. I am try to include an original poetry or commentary commentary.To subscribe send an email to HancockREMOVE@PoetPatriot.com (REMOVE the "REMOVE") with Subscribe in the SUBJECT field.

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Wednesday, May 29, 2013

Peace, Tolerance, The Boston Marathon and Healing

Bruce Edwin, editor of the Hollywood Sentinel, gave my friend Guadalesa permission to let me reprint his piece about her efforts on behalf of peace with her efforts. I believe that lack of tolerance (acceptance) is at the root of most if not all of the world's problems including the lost lives and health of so many of our troops and others killed in war and it's one of the reasons for this blog.

Guadulesa is a former staff member of the art gallery and gift store chain my husband and I founded and owned for nearly a decade and still lives near me in Southern California. She is an artist with heart. She was then and is now. I felt I wanted to honor her in some small way for her efforts to promote peace with her art. (I keyed that section in red to help you find it.) Please take time to scroll down to see a sample of her work and to see the section in Edwin's article on peace.

While people are still dying as a result of the Boston Marathon Bombing; news sources reported yesterday that the FBI shot a witness who they state attacked them during questioning- some are not only trying to help put the pieces back together, but they are doing much more, including fundraising for the survivors of the bombing.

Boston Marathon Victims Get Tribute Unveiled by Award Winning Artist Guadulesa
One such big hearted Bostonian- Guadulesa, is a rising new leader of American female abstract artists, who spends her time between Southern California, and her hometown. The award winning fine artist from Boston; Guadulesa has made a tribute to the victims with her latest work of art. Guadulesa has become known for abstract or loosely figurative works of art, which reflect spontaneity, strong rhythm, texture and color blends. Images may be seen on her website at:www.guadulesa.biz

The Boston Marathon Bombing
As it did many, the Boston bombing greatly affected Guadulesa. On April 15th, 2013, at 2:49pm Eastern, two pressure cooker bombs were detonated approximately 13 seconds apart, near the finish line of the Boston Marathon.

Three people died, with a reported 264 persons injured. Guadulesa, states, "I was actually in the hospital visiting with my daughter-in-law, so I was a little worried about her. when news of the bombing aired, we were all so shocked."

Remembering the Victims who Died
The new art work created by Guadulesa abstractly represents the three victims, with respect to the memory of them. The three victims who died in the Boston Marathon Bombing were all spectators of the marathon. They were;
-Lu Lingzi
-Krystle Marie Campbell, and
-Martin William Richard
Lu Lingzi was a 23 year old Boston University graduate student from Shenyang, Liaoning, China. She was killed by the first bomb.
Krystle Marie Campbell, 29, was a restaurant manager from Medford, Massachusetts, she was also killed by the first bomb.
Martin William Richard, an 8 year old boy from Boston, had his life ended by the second bomb seconds after the first explosion.

Remembering the Victims who Lost Arms and Legs
While a little boy, and two young women died, and 14 people had to have their arms or legs cut off due to massive injury from the bombings, some individuals revoltingly have actually expressed more compassion and love for the two perpetrators- one dead, than the real victims. And yet, many still suffer to this day, with painful, physical recovery, as well as the psychological pain of trying to begin a new life without arms or legs, and the traumatic stress of feeling their life still in danger-and they still need our help.

Guadulesa Creates Tribute to Boston Bombing Victims
Artist Guadulesa, being from Boston, decided to do something about it to try help. She states, "I just could not believe that anyone would choose such an event, which people regard as international, to inflict such misery onto families and multi-national athletes. It made me remember 9 / 11 and the effect that had on us, because one of the flights had flown out of Boston's Logan International Airport. I urgently wanted to do something to help."

The Painting; Boston Survivors' Tribute
With that in mind, the artist went to work on the creation of a new art work, titled 'Boston Survivors' Tribute' pictured here. She intends to find a donor to purchase the work, and donate it to the Boston Medical Center, where many of the Boston bombing victims are being treated. Further, 10% of the funds donated will also be given to the One Fund Boston organization, which is the City of Boston's official non profit funding organization -partly established by the Mayor of Boston, to help victims of the bombing.

The Hollywood Sentinel sat down to discuss with Guadulesa a bit about her background, as well as the nature of the art work dedicated to the Boston Marathon Bombing victims. An excerpt of that exclusive interview is as follows:

Exclusive Interview with Boston Artist GuadulesaThe Hollywood Sentinel: You have lived in Boston, do you have friends or family near where this tragic event of the bombing occurred?Guadulesa: Yes, I do - many friends, in fact. I used to live about four miles from the site of the bombing.The Boston Marathon- Crime SceneThe Hollywood Sentinel: Wow. When was the last time you ever walked in this specific area?Guadulesa: I was there a year ago. Thank goodness my ninety five year old Godmother has moved to the suburbs. I would have been extremely upset. Recently, I arrived in Boston for my art exhibition there, ten days after the bombing. While I was there I was tempted to go the site, but something stopped me. I felt that it was still a crime scene, and it was dreadful to think of what happened there. I stayed away.Boston Marathon Bombing- Conspiracy TheoriesThe Hollywood Sentinel: Some have talked about conspiracy theories regarding the bombing. Do you give credence to any of these or do you believe that what the mainstream news has reported is what it is?Guadulesa: As life goes, mainstream news can report only what they are given. We can always speculate, but sometimes it takes many years for the truth to be unearthed. Some group sent around an e-mail, which denied a lot of the evidence, and I just deleted it right away. It was such an insult to those who were injured and to families who lost their loved ones. The human mind can be very devious.Boston- The ReputationThe Hollywood Sentinel: In my view, I think of Boston as being known as a tough, but smart city. I think of Cambridge and MIT for example. Tell me about this perception please; the toughness and the scholarly view of the city and what that means to you.Guadulesa: I always tell people that Boston has a reputation for being an academic city, but it's very much a blue-collar town. Native Bostonians have a grit to their manner, no matter the socio-economic class. We're a small city, so we rub shoulders with each other along the way. You develop strong survival instincts. I do a lot of walking in Boston. In certain neighborhoods, I automatically put on my street persona, on guard- not afraid, just aware. Bostonians are ready to be friendly and warm, or cold and distant, depending on the situation. We know how to judge (circumstances).The Boston Art SceneThe Hollywood Sentinel: That's interesting. What is the art scene like in Boston, how is it now, and what area of the city is it focused in?Guadulesa: Boston used to be very conservative, but I think collectors have broadened their interests. The art scene used to be centered in Back Bay - Newbury Street - and Beacon Hill. Then it spread to the South End, as galleries were priced out of those areas. I used to live in the South End at the Piano Factory, Boston's oldest artist residence. Since the '90's, Mayor Menino has promoted the Arts and Artists for the contribution they make to the city's image and economy. I was a member of the Mayor's Boston Cultural Council from 1997 to 2003. There are Open Studio events in many neighborhoods now. Middle class Bostonians have become strong collectors and add to the vibrancy of the arts.The Hollywood Sentinel: What message do you have to tell the survivors and the victims' families who have lost loved ones?Time HealsGuadulesa: I know that the memories will last for a long time, and they may never be erased. I hope that Bostonians, as we have done in the past, will pull together and lend emotional support to the victims. The survivors are, of course, victims also. Why them, why our city, why that time and place? Answers can never be sufficient for those most deeply affected. As we are told, time heals. I would tell them to allow that healing - physical and emotional - to take place, no matter how long it takes. We all need to feel whole.Artists Bringing PeaceThe Hollywood Sentinel: Exactly. In your view, how can artists help bring peace?Guadulesa: Already, a close artist friend of mine participated in a Cambridge Peace March. People are reaching out to offer comfort. There are concerts and other special events, which are raising money for the survivors. I believe that the contributions will help survivors realize that we want to help to ease their pain. Knowing that strangers are reaching out to help has to bring some peace of mind. We really want to ease their hearts. Artists can work together to generate love and peace. The strong intention of love can bring peace to those who open their hearts to it. That may seem esoteric, but we have seen it work.Messages Within the Painting; Boston Survivors' TributeThe Hollywood Sentinel: Sure. What is this art work you have created about exactly, and what do you want viewers to take away from it after viewing it?Guadulesa: I am an abstract artist, so the painting re-creates the energy experienced during the bombing, without being too literal. Sometimes I work with collage to directly refer to a particular event, but this time, I chose not to include too many details. I feel that the survivors will hold those details for too long as it is. They don't need to be reminded. I have included a skyline, three focal points in honor of those who lost their lives, a running shoe, and a broken finish line. I want the viewers to feel the shock of being in the midst of that terrible moment.How to Support the Work; Boston Survivors' Tribute
For more information on Guadulesa, visit her website at:www.guadulesa.biz
To inquire about being a donor for 'Boston Survivors' Tribute' pictured here, or for commission works or other purchases of existing inventory, contact the studio of the artist at the above website, or e-mail: guadulesa222@yahoo.com
You may make a donation directly to the One Fund Boston at https://secure.onefundboston.org/
The contents of this article are copyright (c).2013, The Hollywood Sentinel, All rights reserved. Rights are granted for partial or complete re-print by established newspapers, magazines, and online publications or blogs. The office of Bruce Edwin and affiliates, and Guadulesa do not endorse any advertising that may appear on or in connection with this story.

With thanks to Bruce Edwin, editor of The Hollywood Sentinel and President of Starpower Management, the celebrity model and talent firm. Contact Bruce at TheHollywoodSentinel.com.
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Carolyn Howard-Johnson wrote the foreword for Eric Dinyer's book of patriotic quotations, Support Our Troops, published by Andrews McMeel. Part of the proceeds for the book benefit Fisher House. Her chapbook of poetry won the Military Writers Society of America's award of excellence. Find it at http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/1599240173/. Her novel, collection of creative nonfiction and much of her poetry is informed by interest in leading the world toward acceptance of one another. Find her web page dedicated to tolerance at http://www.carolynhowardjohnson.redenginepress.com/tolerence_and_utah_links.htm. If your Twitter followers would be interested, please pass this on to them using this widget:

Here's How to Help Our Soldiers--Now

~~The Philadelphia Veterans Multi-Service & Education Center, Inc, 215 923 VETS (or go to http://www.pvmsec.org/). Ed Lowry, 215-8970-5233, will tell you how to help a program in a community where 30% of the homesless are vets.

~~You may send a greeting (think Christmas, get well or just plain good wishes!) to an injured soldier

~~Move-On is helping the USO to provide thousands of phone cards to servicemen and women stationed in Iraq, Afghanistan, and around the world, so that they can call their friends, family and loved ones this holiday season. Give $15 to buy a phone card for our troops? Click here for information:

~~It's now cheaper to send items to APO and FPO addresses. Order free shipping boxes online. Ask for APO FPO rates at the post office. The boxes will be available online Feb. 20 at http://www.usps.com/supplies, or by calling (800) 610-8734.

~~My soldier in Iraq says that the windshield reflectors many of us use in the summer to protect our dashboards from cracking, our hands from burning on the steering wheel and our bottoms from baking on leather seats are a boon to soldiers suffering Iraqi heat, too. I saw some at the 99 cent store. (-:

~~Get your soldier a bore cleaning kit free of charge with the project Bore Snake. http://www.projectboresnake.com/moreinfo.html. It will save him or her time and assure that their weapons are taken care of. Find guidelines or how to get one on the site.

Overheard . . .

Quotations on Our Military -- Without Comment

~~Reported by the Homelessness Research Institute:Veterans are homeless: Vets represent only 11% of the cvilian adult popularion but 26% of the homeless population. The report asks for screening to learn which soldiers are at risk as they leave the service and for emergency grants for those who actually do fall behind on their rent. Write your congressman for support of this recommendation.

~~From Time Magazine:Nearly 1/2 million veterans were on the streets or in shelters in 2006.

~~From Nancy Gibbs, Time Magazine Essay"Private charity can't replace a public commitment to finish what we start, do do the long, hard, expensive work of making soldiers whole when they come home."

Notes on Tolerance . . .

Tolerance, or the lack of it, is at the root of every conceivable ill that befalls our country and others . . .

~~John McCain in response to a complaint that open borders "will destroy this country. . . " said, ". . . on the larger issue you raise, I believe the people who have come here [legally] from other countries . . . are our greatest strength." `Time Magazine, Dec. 10, 2007, page 33.

~~From Time Magazine:"Unholy Fantasy~The Catholic League called for a boycott of the film The Golden Compass, saying it promotes atheism. The league previously boycotted The Da Vinci Code."

~~At the Casden Institute at the University of Southern California (USC): Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-WS) noted that embracing strangers or outsiders is a tenet emphasized in the Torah. He urged particular tolerance for American minorities including blacks, Latinos, and Arabs and Muslims.

~~Tammy Faye Messner (Baker) passed away in 2007. She said "I refuse to label . . . . We're all just people made out of the same old dirt, and God didn't make any junk."

~~J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter series is a compendium of 4,200 pages about tolerance. Now, after the last has been written, she says, "I did not set out to convert anyone . . . . It's perfectly possible to live a very moral life without a belief in God, and I think it's perfectly possible to live a life peppered with ill-doing and believe in God."

~~"It takes a total shift in perception to realize that you are not in the world, the world is in you." ~ Deepak Chopra

~~"It's about people being two things at once, like Italian Americans or Chinese Americans. He's (Pope Bendict) interested in that idea of coexistence." ~ Raphaela Schmid, Becket Fund for Religious Liberty (Time, April 14, 2008)